Air France-KLM share price opens lower as pilot strikes cut profits in half October 29, 2014 Shares in Air France-KLM opened 3.6 per cent lower at €6.41 this morning, after third quarter operating profit fell by half . Profit for the three months to 30 September in 2014 was €247m, compared with €641m during the equivalent period last year. The company put the fall in profit down to September's [...]
Ryanair hit with €8.3m French fine over staff contract dispute October 28, 2014 Budget airline Ryanair is facing an €8.3m (£6.55m) fine in France after a court ruled the carrier had breached its labour laws. The appeal court turned down the airline’s bid to have the decision overturned, after French authorities fined it for avoiding social security payments in the country by putting workers on contracts in Ireland. [...]
Ryanair’s share price drops as the budget airline locks Michael O’Leary in for five years October 24, 2014 Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary might wind up some of his customers, but the board clearly love what he's doing for the budget airline. O'Leary – whose quotes include comparing the BA/Iberia merger to a pair of drunks leaning on each other and once admitted that passengers are “bombarded” with offers the minute they [...]
Lufthansa pilot strike sparks long haul chaos as 1,511 flights are cancelled October 20, 2014 Lufthansa has cancelled 1,511 flights as a result of a strike being held by pilots that runs until midnight today, a spokesman said yesterday. It is the equivalent to around 65 per cent of the 2,333 flights it would normally operate during the strike. Pilots’ union VC had initially planned to strike only on short-haul [...]
This Virgin America ad is six hours long and it’s the most boring ad ever made October 16, 2014 A new ad for Virgin America is likely to take the prize for the most boring ad ever made, coming in at six, yes six, hours long. The online campaign is a bizarre jibe at the depressing cattle like conditions of its rivals, which it dubs BLAH airlines. The ad recreates a flight from Newark [...]
Fears over Ebola contagion puts airlines in a spin – London Report October 7, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index fell back yesterday, with travel and leisure companies hit by concerns that the spread of Ebola outside Africa could hurt air travel and the tourism business. Sentiment was also hit by a set of poor data, including an unexpected four per cent month-on-month drop in German industrial production in August. Analysts had [...]
Two Ryanair planes clip wings after collision at Dublin Airport causing flight delays October 7, 2014 Two Ryanair planes have clipped each other while on the runways at Dublin Airport this morning, prompting an investigation by local authorities. The incident, which was tweeted about by at least one of the passengers, doesn't appear to have been too serious: minor delays have been reported but there is no suggestion of any [...]
Ryanair soars as passenger numbers rise to record high October 2, 2014 Budget airline Ryanair received a boost yesterday as it revealed passenger numbers in September had hit a new record high. Ryanair’s total passengers last month hit a record 8.5m, soaring by 400,000 compared to 8.1m in September 2013. The budget airline also saw its load factor, the percentage of seats occupied on flights, increase to [...]
Michael O’Leary proves he’s still good for laughs September 25, 2014 RYANAIR has the best shareholder meetings. Despite Michael O’Leary’s decision to “step out of the public spotlight”, he’s still good for quips when he gets in front of a crowd. Yesterday’s meeting in Dublin was no different. Tesco was first to get it in the goolies. When speaking about chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs, O’Leary [...]
Listen to Peter Thiel: Politicians must embrace the fact there’s no money left September 25, 2014 MORE must cost less. In his new book Zero to One, entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel observes that the dream of globalisation – expanding the affluent consumption habits of the western middle class to more and more of the world – demands we also commit to radical technological innovation in order to reduce that lifestyle’s [...]